Stanimira Paskova

Manager of the Helen Doron Learning Centre in Plovdiv
Stanimira or just Mira (as she prefers people to call her) is a manager and headteacher at the Helen Doron Learning Centre in Plovdiv. Previously, she has worked in the field of formal education as an EFL teacher for 12 years. Mira graduated from the Plovdiv University and holds a BA in Bulgarian and English Philology; later, she added a BA in Spanish Philology from the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She also gained some international experience participating in a series of educational exchange programs which led her to Austria, England and the USA. During the years 2013 – 2015 Mira became an alumnus of Teach for Bulgaria Foundation. Her interests are mainly in the fields of linguistics and translation, technology integration in teaching and educational innovations. She is married, and her work is her hobby. Mira joined the team of Le Petit Nicolas because she firmly believes that the key to success for every child is in the good command of foreign languages.

Nikolay Slavkov

Nikolay Slavkov (Niki) is an English teacher at ‘Helen Doron Plovdiv’. He has a work experience as a sports, children, and stage entertainer and as a freelance translator. He also has a Bachelor’s in Theology from the London University, having spent a major part of his student years in a specialized theological college in Cambridge, UK. Prior to that he studied in the High School for Foreign Languages ‘Plovdiv’, where he earned certificates for high proficiency in German and English. In the period 2016-2020 he took part in seminars on philosophical and religious themes in Germany, Lithuania, Turkey and the USA. In 2018 he was an intern in a centre for interreligious dialogue in Istanbul assisting translators. In 2020 he joined a project popularizing local artists’ work in Lisbon, Portugal.

For Niki the work with children means privilege, responsibility and fun. He believes that the Helen Doron method is a unique possibility through which children can acquire not only new knowledge and abilities, but also an overall positive impression of the educational process

Galina Gicheva

Galia is a Bachelor of “International Economic Relations” from the University of Economics in Varna. For many years she works in the corporate world, slowly realizing that her heart is longing for a totally new type of work commitment. Her main interests are in the areas of early childhood development – psychology, upbringing and education. She strongly believes that there is no greater investment, than the investment in developing the full potential of a child. In 2017 she finishes her Master’s Degree in “Psycho-Social Consulting of Children and Adolescents”. In 2018 she starts working with young children and finds out this is her true calling. In 2019-2020 she gets her certification as a Montessori Teacher and is currently finishing her degree in “Methodology of the English Language”. She enters the world of Helen Doron through the experiences of her youngest boy, who took our courses. She decides to become a Helen Doron teacher because she is greatly affected and inspired by the fact how innovative and effective this method is.

Jasmine Al-Sabag

Jasmine is a certified English teacher at the Helen Doron Plovdiv School of English since January 2020. She also has experience as a teacher in the bilingual summer school.

Received her bachelor’s degree of English Philology after studying at the University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”.

She speaks three languages fluently, two of which – Bulgarian and Arabic are her mother tongue, the thing that is contributing to her work with children and gives her the privilege of being deeply aware of what it means to learn more than one language from a young age.

The teaching methodology at the school embodies the creative and artistic personality of Jassi, who loves music and fine arts – an integral part of her daily life as an artist for more than 6 years.

Teaching is a mission for her, something she strongly believes in and makes her proud to be taking part in the process of creating a better future for the next generation.

The biggest motivation in her work with children is to inspire and see the results of her work.

Lilyana Semova

Lilyana Semova is a certified teacher of English for children at Helen Doron Plovdiv.

Her teaching experience began more than four years ago in London, England, where she had received a “CACHE Level 3” diploma for an early years educator.

Lily is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree at Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski” with “Preschool and Primary Pedagogy”. Her pedagogical experience in Bulgaria includes work as a head teacher in the year-round bilingual day-care, as well as a Helen Doron teacher.

According to Lily, the essence of the teaching profession is the teacher`s desire to discover new unknown worlds for children, to make them thirsty for knowledge. Asked why she decided to join our team, Lily

replied: “Because I believe in Helen Doron’s holistic method. It gives both children and teachers the freedom to learn, get to know each other and express themselves in countless ways.”